October 1, 2009
We've been wondering if the Senate Finance Committee will ever finish putting Chairman Max Baucus's health bill through the wringer.
Why is Sen. Baucus smiling?
The debate may end today or tomorrow, we learned a little while ago, with a vote sometime next week after the Congressional Budget Office slices and dices the numbers on the revised bill.
So how is Baucus, a marathoner, dealing with the longest markup by the committee in 15 years? He gets help from a couple of cheat sheets he keeps in front of him on the dais.
One has a little smiley face on it, with a single curly piece of hair sticking out. He says it reminds him to "keep smiling."
The other one says, "Do not take the bait." A reminder not to let the Republican talking points get to him.
That's probably easier than keeping a happy face during the long hours. He has an ample supply of Democratic proxy votes in his pocket—enough to defeat most of the Republican amendments easily.
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